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(No Model.)

K. L. WES1TERFIELD. CAN 019mm.

' Patented A r. 20,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KATE L. WESTERFIELD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CAN-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,916, dated April 20, 1897. Application filed January 25,1896. $erial No. 576,774. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, KATE L. WEsTERFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Can-Opener, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for opening tin or other metal cans and the like; and it consists in the construction and combination of elements hereinafter described,and further pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation on the line 2 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a fragmentary side elevation, enlarged, of a portion of the device; and Fig. 4, -a sectional elevation on the line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, A indicates the body of my device, which consists of a circular disk of cast or otherwise-formed metal, preferably solid, and heavy or weighted to .give the device force in striking. Rising centrally from the top of said disk is a stem 13, to which is secured a handle 0 in any desired manner, preferably as shown in the drawings, wherein the stem B is provided with a squared shank D, which passes through a square opening in the hub E of the handle.

Depending from the under surface of the disk A and preferably concentric thereto and closely adjacent or at the edge thereof are a series of teeth F, the outer surfaces of which are shown flush with the periphery of the disk A. These teeth are complexin form and comprise two parts, the lower and smaller, G, being tooth-like and pointed, the upper part II gradually widening to where they merge into the body of the disk A. By making the body of the teeth with the convexly curved or rounded cutting edges they are given a shearing function in their progress through the metal, and by making the termination of the teeth elongated and pointed the preliminary cut is readily effected and the severance more easily made, since when the main cutting portions of the teeth reach the metal their edges encounter metal already put in the course of separation.

The part Gforms what I term an entrant tooth or projection, and the part H the cutting and distending tooth. Each of these teeth F is provided with sharpened edges 1, adapted to cut the metal in the direction of the movement of the disk.

In operation the device is taken by the handle O and the top of the can (or the portion of which it is desired to remove to get at the contents) struck forcibly by the device, the weight of the handle, and especiallythat of the disk, lending an additional impetus to the blow, forcing the entrant teeth or projections G into the metal, piercing it, and if the blow is sufficiently strong or additional pressure exerted the cutting and distending portions H of the teeth will sever the metal, enabling the disk to be forced close to the metal of the can, thus leaving sections of uncut metal between the"respective teeth equal to the longitudinal distance between the teeth, the cutting edges enabling this operation to be done expeditiously, or if the teeth are not forced completely through the metal of the can the section of uncut metal will be equal to the distance between the teeth at their point of con-tact therewith.

It will now be apparent that in order to completely sever the section of the tin or metal from the body of the can which it is desired to remove to get at the contents it is only necessary to turn or rotate the device in the direction of the teeth in either direction,bringing the cutting edge of the teeth into play for this purpose and severing the section of metal lying between each of the teeth, such section of metal being determined by the amount of entrance or insertion given to the teeth.

Having described my invention, I claim-- A can-opener comprising a heavy circular disk A, formed with integral peripheral depending cutting-teeth F, having convexlycurved cutting edges, and having their end portions lengthened and contracted forming preliminary cutting-points G, an integral handle-stem B, on the disk, and a handle 0, fixedly secured on the upper end of the handle-stem, as shown and described.

KATE L. WESTERFIELD. lVitnesses:

J osnrn L. LEVY, B. S. WISE. 

